Casings Guide

Definitely HTPC

Definitely HTPC

Despite its rather distinguished reputation for producing excellent PC enclosures, Antec has yet to make the same sort of impact in the niche category of home theater personal computers enclosures (HTPC for short). Frankly, when HTPC casings are mentioned, the first manufacturer that comes to our mind is SilverStone, perhaps followed by smaller firms like Ahanix and Origen. Antec doesnï¿½t really even come into the picture as our associations with that brand are more focused towards its high-quality power supply units and performance casings. To be fair though, they have the Overture II enclosure that is marketed as a HTPC candidate, but has a bland appearance that more resembles an old-school desktop form factor casing than something you would want to have in your living room.

Meanwhile, the HTPC trend has continued to build up steam and with most consumer versions of Windows Vista possessing media center capabilities, one should expect continued growth in this segment once Microsoft's new operating system debuts in January. Even Zalman has gotten into the act by releasing a HTPC enclosure this year, so where has Antec been amidst all these developments?

Well, it seems that they have been working hard to remedy the situation as our wishes have been answered. Antec now has a new enclosure to unveil to the public and make no mistake, this newcomer is squarely targeted at the HTPC segment. Dubbed the Antec Fusion, this new case will look right at home with your precious home theater system, thanks to a classic design and even comes with the pre-requisite volume control knob and a fluorescent display shows you useful information like the weather, news and media information with the appropriate software support. Before we get into the details though, here's a look at the new HTPC enclosure from Antec: